AN ARCADIAN CALENDAR 



the tree that it puts forth many hundreds of buds, 

 developing into immense clusters of twigs. The brooms 

 have a picturesqueness, their dark masses contrasting 

 with the light grace of the tree; it is as if the dainty 

 " lady of the woods " has sought to set off her charms 

 by adopting beauty-patches. 



THE West Country is specially favoured in Winter by 

 the graceful presence of grey wagtails, so 

 Water abundant that at times every rock in the 

 Sprites bed of a stream seems to have its dancing 

 sprite. They are great lovers of water, and 

 rarely stray far from streams (nor could they easily do 

 so in Devon), finding their living among the water 

 insects, which they often pursue by nimbly running 

 over the leaves of water-plants. In a few weeks the 

 birds will be putting on their black gorgets of courting 

 days. They share the pied wagtail's love of a ditch, 

 which possibly gave that bird its puzzling country name, 

 Dishwasher a contraction, it may be, of " Ditch- 

 watcher." 



IN a sportsman's view the partridge is never a more 

 sporting mark than in December. The 

 Cunning callow birds of September have grown in 

 Game strength, speed and elusiveness out of all 



Birds knowledge. They fly like bullets. Cover is 



scanty now, and they have mastered some 

 marvellous vanishing-tricks. And pheasants, the older 

 cocks especially, grow ever more cunning as Christmas 

 looms nearer, trusting their lives more and more to their 

 strong, swift legs. The craftiest old cock is he who be- 

 lieves in a solitary life for the time being ; and he may 

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